National Health Care/ Single Payer Healthcare

This is a topic that has become increasingly important and something that I dearly hope our next President can tackle.

There is a lot wrong with the for profit health care system we have in the United States. Whether or not you can go to the doctor should not depend on how much money you have or if you can afford health insurance.

If you have had to not see a doctor because of money or have been screwed by a doctor's office or your insurance company, you probably agree with me on this.

If you still think that America has the best health care in the world, here are some facts for you:


The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990

The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women down from 1st in 1945 and 13th in 1960

The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for men down from 1st in 1945 and 17th in 1960. http://cthealth.server101.com/the_case_for_universal_health_care_in_the_united_states.htm

The U.S. spends more on health care per capita ($4,637 in 2000) and as a proportion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than any other nation in the world http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/leatherman_chbk_520.pdf?section=4039

From Guaranteed Healthcare here are the Top 10 reasons for a single payer system:

1. Healthcare for everyone, period

2. Portability. If you change jobs or are unemployed, you still get healthcare.

3. Uniform benefits. Everyone gets the same care, not better care for those who can pay more.

4. Prevention. Everyone can afford preventative care which improves health and lowers costs.

5. Choice of physician. No more worries about, "Is this doctor in my preferred network?"

6. Ending insurance industry interference with care. Caregivers and patients decide what's needed, not an insurance company deciding what's covered.

7. Reducing administrative waste.

8. Cost savings. A single payer system would cover everyone with the savings from reducing waste.

Taiwan, shifting from a U.S. healthcare model, adopted a single-payer system in 1995, boosting health coverage from 57% to 97% with little if any increase in overall healthcare spending.

9. Common sense budgeting including setting fair prices and getting volume discounts.

10. Public oversight. The public sets the policies and administers, instead of our current for profit system. http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/fact/top-10-reasons-enacting-single-payer-healthcare-system

http://www.grahamazon.com/sp/
http://www.pnhp.org/
http://www.healthcare-now.org/

Change.org

http://www.change.org/

I checked out this site the other day. It's a pretty cool idea. People vote on what issues they think are the most important. There will be two rounds of voting. First to get the top ideas in each category, and then to get the top 10 ideas overall.

From Change.org :
"The "Top 10 Ideas for America" will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day. We will then build a national campaign to advance each idea in Congress, marshaling the resources of Change.org, MySpace, and our dozens of partner organizations and millions of combined members."

There are all sorts of ideas on the site, some more important than others and some overlapping.

You do have to create a sign it, but I had fun browsing through all the ideas and voting. I hope that they can get these ideas heard.